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Charl Schwartzel emerges on wild Sunday to win the Masters

Phil Mickelson helps Charl Schwartzel put on his green jacket after winning the Masters on Sunday with the help of birdies on each of the final four holes. (AP)

AUGUSTA, GA. – It was Tiger Woods on the front nine, Adam Scott on the back nine and Jason Day with a last gasp on the final two holes.

But at the end of a wild Masters Sunday, Charl Schwartzel closed with a flourish never seen at Augusta National.

Schwartzel, a 26-year-old South African, birdied the last four holes to shoot 66 for a 14-under 274 finish.

It was clear early Schwartzel was going to have a big day, beginning with a chip-in birdie on the first hole and an eagle from the fairway on the third hole.

Schwartzel, playing in just his second Masters, needed a historic performance to emerge from a pack of golfers making a run at the green jacket.

Eight players at one point or another held or shared the lead, including Woods, a four-time winner. Five players were tied at 5:15 p.m. as the sun was dipping behind the pines at Augusta National.

Rory McIlroy held or shared the lead for three days, but shot 80 in a collapse of Greg Norman proportions.

Following a sloppy, third-round 74, Woods made a front-nine charge that had the ground shaking.

Woods’ eagle 3 at the par-5 8th hole brought the loudest roars of the week and visions of Jack Nicklaus’ back-nine charge 25 years ago when he won his sixth green jacket.

But Woods slowed down on the back nine to shoot even-par 36, finishing with a five-under 67 and 10-under for the week.

Many players picked up the pace from there, led by Scott, who was looking to become the first Australian to win the Masters 15 years after Greg Norman squandered a six-shot lead and lost to Nick Faldo in 1996.

Scott shot 33 on the back nine, highlighted by a birdie from three feet on the par-3 16th. But Scott parred his last two holes.

Meanwhile, Day, a 23-year-old Aussie, birdied the last two to tie Scott at 12-under par.